The Hindu : Sport : It's all about keeping wickets intact

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Sunday, Oct 29, 2006
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It's all about keeping wickets intact

It has taken some good cricket to win games over the last one week, writes Glenn McGrath

If I had to choose a venue in India to play a knockout game against the hosts, it would be Mohali, and what I saw on Friday during the Pakistan-South Africa game strengthened my conviction.

The wicket offers great bounce, carry and seam movement, and I am really looking forward to bowling on Sunday. I have noticed that the wicket we are to play on is not as green as the one that was used in Friday's game, but there is still enough carry and bounce to keep me interested, and this has been confirmed by local sources as well.

The decision to bowl first was considered a no-brainer till last week, but a few games have proved that chasing is not as easy as it seems, and now the captains might be hoping to lose rather than win the toss.

Fortunately, only one game was really affected by the dew. The good news is that the flip of the coin does not determine the game.

Target

As of now, most games have been won or lost in the first 10 to 15 overs after the break.

The sides that have lost too many wickets in that period have lost, but those who have minimised losses in that period, like West Indies against India the other night, have managed to win. 200-plus is a very good target to defend if your frontline bowlers account for the top order.

I am happy with my new role as first-change bowler. It was my suggestion that Nathan and Brett should open the bowling. Nathan swings the ball, and since the ball swings only for the first two-three overs here, it's important that he bowls first up. Another consideration is the Power Play, which means that field restrictions are in play for 20 overs. This means I can bowl later and still rein in the opposition.

The Indian batting has not looked as confident as it normally does at home. There is an air of uncertainty surrounding them, and it's something we have to capitalise on.

However, we are also aware that many of India's batsmen are capable of turning it on, so we will have to bowl really well.

The group stage concludes on Sunday, and there have been just two centuries — by Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo against England.

The conditions have not been as favourable for batting as they normally are in one-day cricket, with some venues offering plenty of bounce and movement, while others assisting the spinners too much, thanks to the low and slow bounce.

Hopefully, it will be one of our batsmen who will get to the three-figure mark on Sunday.

The whole team is really looking forward to the game. While we have already played two games in the tournament, we have not got the flavour of a full house so far.

We don't have to wait for long because there's already a buzz around Chandigarh, and I expect to see a full house when we take the field. (Gameplan)

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